And he hadn’t even touched her yet…
She’d escaped to the rest room when she’d seen him coming her way in the banquet room, because she couldn’t bear to make small talk with him when she still wanted him so badly. But what made her think she’d be safe from him here in the women’s lounge? He was a rebel, a bad boy who made up his own rules to suit himself, consequences be damned. He didn’t seem concerned about getting caught, and at the moment, she was too overwhelmed by his presence to worry about that, either.
He stopped inches away, and her entire body responded to the familiar, masculine scent of him. “Just in case you didn’t notice, this is the ladies’ room,” she managed to say in a normal tone of voice, even while her insides trembled. “I think you made a wrong turn somewhere.”
One of those devastating smiles of his made an appearance. “Sweetheart, I’m right where I want to be,” he drawled in a low, husky timbre.
His softly spoken declaration made her knees buckle, and she curled her fingers around the edge of the counter by her hips for support. “Eric… what are you doing in here?”
Leisurely, he stroked the shorter strand of pearls where they rested on the full swells of her breasts. “I’m fulfilling one last fantasy.” His finger caught on the top button securing her silk blouse, and he unfastened the first one, then the second, his gaze never leaving hers. “I’m going to make love to you.”
Make love. In all their shared fantasies, neither of them had ever used those profound words, and she was both entranced and terrified by what was happening between them. “You can’t… we can’t do that in here.”
“Sure we can.” His expression turned gentle, reassuring, that aggression and dominance she was so used to tempered by a softness she didn’t fully understand yet. “And I promise it’ll be an experience you’ll never forget.”
When he pushed open the sides of her blouse and touched her, she couldn’t bring herself to object, not when her heart ached for him and her body was already his. Dipping his fingers into her stretch lace bra, he lifted and cupped both of her breasts in his big hands, then bent his head, his warm, damp breath wafting across her nipples before he suckled one tight crest deep into his mouth, and then did the same to the other.
A soft, purring sound rose from the back of her throat, and she pushed her fingers through his hair to hold him close and gave herself over to the sweetest sensations she’d ever known.
His movements were slow and unhurried, as if they had all the time in the world. Slowly, he bunched the hem of her skirt to her waist, then lifted her up so she was sitting on the vanity counter. Hooking his thumbs into the waistband of the white panties she wore, he dragged them down her legs, and tucked them into his suit jacket pocket. Pushing her knees apart, he skimmed his fingers along the creamy flesh just above the lacy band of her stockings, then grazed his knuckles through the thatch of curls between her thighs. He delved deeper, stroked along the swollen folds of her sex, and found her already wet and ready for him.
With unsteady hands, he unbuckled his belt, unzipped his fly, and sheathed his straining shaft with a condom. Moving back between her spread thighs and lifting her legs high around his waist, he slid into her in one long, sleek, heavy glide. His big body shuddered against hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck as she struggled to catch her own breath.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he groaned against her cheek, and she heard the honest need in his voice.
She’d missed him, too.
All thought ceased as he buried a hand in her hair, brought her lips to his, and kissed her long and slow and deep. His hips picked up the same seductive rhythm, and there was no denying that this time between them was different. Their lovemaking was erotic yet tender, and there was no struggle for Eric to maintain control of the act or her response. He was giving all of the control to her, like a man who trusted her with his heart. Like a man who wanted everything a relationship between a man and a woman offered.
In that moment, his generosity and selflessness outdistanced all her misgivings and uncertainties. All she felt was this man and the emotions he evoked in her. Need and desire. Tenderness and hope. And yes, the sweet beginnings of love.
Clinging to him, she clenched her thighs tight around his waist and tilted her hips. The position brought their bodies into a more intimate contact that built the slow, simmering heat between them into a burst of flame that tumbled them both over the edge of a stunning climax.
With his mouth still on hers, he swallowed her soft cries, and his own low growl vibrated against her lips. He brought her back down with soft, lush kisses, and it seemed an eternity had passed before either of them could breathe normally again.
Untangling his fingers from her hair, he met her heavy-lidded gaze. His eyes were a subdued shade of blue, his features just as serious. “Thank you for sharing my fantasy world with me. It was more than I ever anticipated, and making love to you was the best of all,” he said, feathering his thumb along her jaw. “But reality is yours if you’re willing to take a chance on us.”
His words swirled through the passion-induced fog still consuming her mind, and her heart pounded hard in her chest. But before she could form a response, the door behind them rattled, causing her to jump in startled surprise, which also brought her surroundings immediately back into focus. Her cheeks burned with mortification at being caught making love in the rest room. No doubt within minutes the rest of the Massey employees would know what had transpired between her and Eric, too.
One of her greatest fears had just been realized.
“Is someone in there?” a feminine voice asked.
“We’ll be done in a minute,” Eric replied, and adjusted his clothes, then Jill’s, though he didn’t give back her panties.
Once they were both decent again, he headed for the entrance, unlocked and opened the door, then stopped and glanced back at her. His eyes were gentle as they met hers, his voice soft when he spoke. “By the way, I want you to know that I’m falling in love with you, but I won’t settle for a temporary affair or keeping our relationship a secret. I want you to be a part of my life, in all ways.”
All or nothing. The choice was hers to make. She reeled from his candid declaration, paralyzed where she stood and unable to say a word because she was so afraid to believe.
Eric apologized to their coworker, Carol, for keeping the bathroom occupied, then he stepped around her and was gone.
Carol strolled into the lounge, her expression bemused. “I had no idea that you and Eric were, well, you know.”
Sleeping together. Having an affair. Fulfilling erotic fantasies. All applied, yet Eric had just elevated their relationship by making love to her and expressing his feelings for her. Privately and publicly.
Carol fluffed her hair and pulled a tube of lipstick from her purse. “What a lucky girl you are. Eric is quite a catch,” she mused, a wistful note to her voice as she applied a slash of pink to her lips. “But it’s nice to know that the baddest of boys can fall hard when it’s the right woman.”
And he’d fallen for her. In ways she’d never imagined or expected. He wanted her like no man had ever desired her before—heart, body, and soul. Not as a temporary plaything, but a long-term lover. And she was tired of being alone, of fighting herself and what she wanted. So weary of letting fears rule her emotions.
The other woman slanted her an incredulous look. “Good Lord, Jill, what are you still doing standing in here? Are you just going to let him walk away after he just told you he’s falling in love with you and he wants a commitment?”
“No, I’m not.” He’d just taken such a huge emotional gamble for her. She trusted Eric, and that meant it was time to take a few risks of her own, as well.
She ran from the lounge and back into the banquet room, her stomach twisting into a knot of nerves as her gaze searched for a certain dark-haired, blue-eyed, sexy bad boy. Her bad boy. She found him shaking hands with the president of Enchanted and saying his fare
wells for the evening to the Massey partners. Then he headed for the double doors to leave.
Panic welled within her, that she’d possibly hesitated too long to go after him. “Eric, wait!” she called as she hurried toward him.
He turned to look at her, as did at least two dozen nearby guests—including a good portion of the employees and partners she’d worked with at Massey. She felt their curious eyes on her as she closed the distance between her and Eric, no doubt speculating what was between the two of them.
She realized she didn’t care. If her relationship with Eric meant never getting another freelance project with Massey, then so be it. He was all that mattered.
Lifting her chin high, she welcomed the liberating feeling setting her free and giving her the courage to be herself, to let this man bring out the very best in her. Including the love filling her heart.
Everything that needed to be said between them had already been spoken. With words and with their bodies. There was only one thing left to tell him. “I’m taking a chance on us.”
He tipped his head, but there was no mistaking the relief and satisfaction etching his features. “You’re taking a lot of chances tonight.”
The pride in his voice warmed her. He knew how difficult this moment would be for her, and understood what it had taken for her to be so bold in front of so many witnesses. “You’re worth it.”
His sensual lips curved into a teasing grin. “You sure about that?”
“Absolutely.” Then she proved it. Circling her arms around his neck, she pulled his mouth to hers and kissed him in front of everyone. Much to her surprise, the crowd broke out into applause, whistles, and cheers.
She laughed, welcoming the happiness that bubbled through her, and knew everything would work out just fine. “Take me home, Eric,” she whispered in his ear, needing to be alone with him. “I’m in the mood for something Wilde.”
He grinned at her play on words, and swept her up into his strong arms. “Now that’s a request I’d be more than happy to accommodate.”
All She Wants for Christmas
from Jingle Bells anthology
By
Janelle Denison
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter One
"Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas everyone!"
Even though Faith Roberts had been anticipating his arrival, she shivered as the husky greeting slipped down her spine and an all-too-familiar heat gathered deep in her belly. There was only one man lately who'd been able to elicit such a thrilling response, and his visit at today's festive, holiday celebration was no exception.
"It's Santa!" one child exclaimed in joyful excitement, and that's all it took for the activity room in the children's ward to break out in squeals of delight. The kids erupted into a mad rush toward the jolly man in the red suit and gathered around him, all sixteen of them vying for his attention, all at once.
Faith laughed, not that she could blame the little imps, or the young nurses who'd left their stations to watch Matthew Carlton, pediatric surgeon, in action. Even dressed in a bright red Santa suit, complete with a padded tummy, fluffy white beard, and wire-rimmed glasses, the man still managed to exude mass quantities of sex appeal, and no one of the female gender seemed immune to his easygoing charm and affable personality.
Especially her. And if all went as planned, by the end of this holiday party Santa would be granting Faith her fondest wish.
All she wanted for Christmas this year was one hot, unforgettable night of passion with playboy Matthew Carlton before she moved on to the next phase of her life and started dating seriously again. No more wondering what it would feel like to have Matthew's mouth on hers and his hands sliding across her curves. No more tossing and turning in her bed all alone as she fantasized about having that solid body of his moving over hers, sliding deep inside where she was soft and warm and wet. She craved the real thing, and if his interest in her was any indication, she didn't think he'd refuse her seductive request.
She'd spent the last six months skirting his flirtatious advances and turning down dinner invitations because of his love 'em and leave 'em reputation around the hospital, but after a year of remaining single and cautious due to a past relationship gone bad, she was ready to give in to the attraction and restless desire she'd been fighting for too long. Ready to give in to temptation and enjoy every sensual delight he had to offer. And this time she'd do so with her eyes wide open, and keep her heart out of the equation.
As Santa made his way to the red velvet throne next to the gaily decorated Christmas tree, with his entourage of youngsters in tow, his twinkling blue eyes swept the area and stopped on her for a moment. Faith saw his beard twitch with a smile, and he winked at her before he settled himself in his chair and returned his attention to the ecstatic kids.
Another rush of heat tingled along her skin and scattered across her breasts, pebbling her nipples into tight aching points. Doing her best to subdue her body's reaction to Dr. Sexy, as he'd been appropriately dubbed by the female hospital staff, she immersed herself in the carefree, festive mood that had been created for the sick and recovering children who'd be staying in the hospital through Christmas.
While everyone had shuffled forward to greet Santa, and her good friend, Chayse Douglas, snapped pictures to document the occasion, Faith remained behind with five-year-old April, who sat on her lap clutching her soft worn blanket. She watched the commotion from afar with big round eyes, fascinated but unsure whether she wanted to join in the melee.
Faith didn't push the little girl, certain she'd come around once she saw Santa pull gifts from the big velvet bag he'd brought with him and discovered he'd given the kids precisely what they'd asked for. Last week, as a volunteer in the children's ward, Faith had helped each child write a letter to Santa; then afterward she'd gone shopping with Chayse to make sure that all the kids received at least one item that they'd asked for.
As the procession around Santa continued, Chayse came over to Faith, sat in the vacant seat beside her, and loaded a new roll of film into her camera. "Do you think Santa would be up to being a hunk in the Outdoor Men calendar project I'm doing for charity next year?"
Faith chuckled at the frustration threading through her friend's voice, knowing the source of her discontent. "I take it you haven't been able to recruit Adrian Wilde to pose as your last subject yet, hmm?"
"No, but not for a lack of trying," Chayse grumbled beneath her breath. "The man is absolutely aggravating, and so darn gorgeous and sexy that I refuse to give up on him."
"So, are you interested in him for more than just charitable reasons?" Faith asked curiously, and loosened her arms around April when the girl shifted restlessly on her lap, seemingly trying to gather the courage to approach Santa.
Chayse dug into her camera bag for a different lens. "No more or less than you want Dr. Sexy for more than his pediatric skills, I suppose."
"Touche, though I'm also very attracted to that soft spot he has for kids," she said in her own defense, and let her gaze drift back to Matthew, who had a bright-eyed boy perched on his knee and was listening avidly to what he had to say.
As a third-grade schoolteacher having always loved children, Faith appreciated how gentle and focused Matthew was with the kids in the hospital. Being attentive was all part of his job, of course, but Matthew's caring was genuine. She could see it in his striking blue eyes as he strolled through the children's ward a few times a week, making sure to stop and visit each child, no matter how sick, and the way he handled them with an abundance of gentleness and compassion. He even entertained them with sleight-of-hand magic tricks that brought a bit of joy and amusement into their sometimes lonely, confined days.
But as great as he was with the younger generation, he was a reputed ladies' man who enjoyed playing the field. He had one broken en
gagement under his belt, and he'd dated a few of the nurses in the hospital who hadn't been shy about admitting that he was "the best they'd ever had."
Faith knew and accepted that Matthew wasn't a forever kind of guy, and that was fine with her, since what she wanted from him was just one night of erotic, breath-stealing pleasure, to finally get him out of her mind, dreams, and nightly fantasies.
Stroking a hand over April's soft hair, Faith glanced back at her friend, who was busy fiddling with her camera settings, and decided to let Chayse in on her plan. "I'm going to ask Santa over there for a very intimate Christmas present this year, one only he can deliver personally."
Chayse's grin widened, and her violet-hued eyes glimmered with amusement "Well, it's about time you treated yourself to such a decadent and yummy gift, especially after the way things ended with Martin."
Martin, a successful lawyer, who'd strung her along with false promises until someone better, and more exciting and sophisticated, had piqued his interest and libido, shattering both her heart and her trust. But she was no longer that guileless woman who believed in fairy tale endings, especially not with a man who was known for his prowess with the female gender.
Matthew might agree to an affair with her, but she wasn't so naive that she'd ever believe she was the type of woman he'd eventually marry. And she knew that particular score upfront, and she wasn't looking for anything long term, either.
"It's the right time," Faith countered with a shrug. "With my sister living in Houston with her husband and new family, and my parents off on vacation in Paris, it's the perfect Christmas gift to myself." She hated to admit it, but she'd been dreading spending the holidays alone, without her parents or sister, for the first time ever. If Matthew agreed to her wish, he'd provide her with a nice sensual kind of distraction, and plenty of fond Christmas memories to look back on.
"I'm certain Santa is just the man to give you exactly what you want and need," Chayse said.
Wilde Novellas Page 10
